LPS -- Superintendent's bi-weekly message
Dear Lincoln Public Schools Families,
I hope you are doing well and enjoying the unseasonably warm temperatures after last weekend’s Nor’easter. For this week’s message I wanted to wax a bit philosophical on a topic that was on the agenda at last week’s School Committee meeting: how and when to use technologically effectively in our classrooms.
Too frequently this subject can devolve into oversimplified discussions about screen time limits and cell phone bans, but the truth is that technology use in schools is a complex topic with no simple solutions or perfect answers. In Lincoln, we are trying to recognize the ways in which technology can support and enhance student learning, while also being aware of the potential pitfalls. Rob Ford, our Director of Educational Operations and Technology, shared a presentation with the School Committee last week and talked through a framework that we are using with teachers to try to recognize the complexity. Here are a couple key points from Rob’s presentation:
Screen time isn’t a particularly helpful metric when talking about technology use in classrooms. While it can feel intuitively right, there is no definitive research about the “right” amount of time for students to be using devices in schools, and it’s more relevant to think about how students are using devices than it is about how long they are using them.
That having been said, we shouldn’t have students use technology unless there’s an educationally sound reason for them to be doing so. We should only be using technology when its use aligns with learning objectives, where it supports and extends core learning, and where it is developmentally appropriate.
It’s okay for technology devices and resources to help make the learning process easier or richer, but they should not displace cognitive demand, critical thinking, creativity, or prosocial behavior. Part of the learning process is about productive struggle and the cognitive and social-emotional growth that comes from that struggle. Technology shouldn’t replace that.
Protecting student privacy and safety is paramount. We have put safeguards and data privacy practices in place that go beyond what is required by the state, ensuring that parents and caregivers have insight into the tools and resources we are using, and that our network, tools, and data are protected from potential bad actors.
Teachers know their students and curriculum better than any other staff members. Our job district-wide is to support teachers – by providing effective training, and putting in place general expectations and guardrails – while still honoring their expertise and judgement. To that end, we are providing a series of professional development workshops for teachers this year to help them dig into the complexity of how to best use technology in their classrooms. We are also working with teachers to make sure that they are asking the right questions to consider when and how to integrate technology (and these questions are not intended to be binary “yes/no” checkboxes, but rather starting points for deeper consideration).
Rob’s presentation focused on the use of district-owned technology resources; in terms of personal technology devices, we have pretty strict rules. Students are not allowed to access (or wear) web-enabled personal devices during the day, and any student-owned cell phones or other personal electronic devices that are brought to school need to be kept in their lockers/cubbies and not be used at any time during the school day.
Big-picture, the data continues to evolve on the impacts of technology devices and social media on children’s brains and social-emotional development, but what is out there is concerning. Frankly, I think that COVID exacerbated a number of pre-existing negative trends, and I am personally glad to see our society thinking more cautiously and skeptically about when and how children should be using technology.
Nevertheless, our students are growing up in a technology-rich world, and there are plenty of ways that technology can support and enhance their education. In Lincoln, we are trying to accept the complexity and find the right balance, while also recognizing that there are no simple answers or solutions.
Thank you for reading, and have a wonderful weekend!
Parry Graham
Superintendent